Tool for removing and replacing piston rings



June 22 1926. 1,589,392

W. F. HIATT TOOL FOR REMOVING AND REPLACING PISTON RINGS Fil ed March 6, i925 'e awg. hilifififiazifl. 10 19 14 1/ 14 employ a pair Patented June 22, 1926.

v UNITE-o STATES \VILLIAM F.. I-IIATT, 0F INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA.

1,589,392 PATENT 1 onion,

TOOIi FOR REMOVING AND REPLACING PISTON RINGS.

Application filed March 6,1925: Serial No.- 13,176.

This invention relates to an improved tool for applying or removing piston rings, being especially,v although notexclusively,

designed for use in conn ect-ion with the p1sremoved, without ring or in ury to the .groove of the piston.

likelihood of injury to the walls of. the ring The .invention's'eeks', as a further object,

to provide avtoolwhich may be operate that the ring maybe or reii'i'oved over the piston, and

to expand the ring so applied wherein means will be provided for firmly retaining the ring upon the tool freeout of control.

ring cannot spring so that the further object of the invention is to provide a tool wherein employed will, as'the ring is expande automatically pressedinto engagement the end portions of the the retaining jaws d, .be with ring, and wherein the spring pressure on said jaws will-be increased with the increase in the expansion of the ring so that the times be firinly held upon the tool.

And the invention seeks,

object, to provide a tool tion without sacrificing tool. 7

Other and incidental hereinafter.

In the accompanying as a stillfurther of simple construethe efficiency of the objects will appear drawings t Figure 1 is a side elevation of my improved tool.

Figure 2 is a View showing the tool jen- .gagedwith a conventional piston ring,

the

ring being illustrated in dotted lines.

Figure 3 is an end elevation of the tool. Figure l is a detail sectional view on the line 4 4: of Figure 1,

looking in the direction indicated by the arrows.

In carrying the invention into effect, I

levers are flat and are as at 11. levers are curved away provide handles while The rear end of coacting levers 10. These pivotally connected portions of the from each other to the forward end 7 portions of the levers are straight and form a pair of prongs These tips are provided edges and curved outer rought together into Sl10W112lI1 Figure 1, the

12 terminating in tips 13.

with straight inner edges so that when mating relation, ias

tips form a wedge shaped entering terminal, Projecting from ring will. atall slightly so that theleyers at the plane of the pivot 11, are oppositely directed lateral arms 14: and

formed on theprongs 12 at the baseends of thetips'13 are oppositely directed lateral ..ears-15. Swingingly mounted upon the "ears 15. is a pair'of u-shaped ring retaining jaws 16, the sides'of which straddle said ears to receive rivets 17 pivotally mounting the aws, and pro ecting from the sides of each jawis apainof longitudinally extending s de flanges 18 shaped to embrace axpiston ring. .The outer ends of'a-the arms 14 are d given a; half turn-andslidablel throughthe turned ends of the arms are connecting. rods 19. At.-their.forward ends these rods are provided with flatheads 20 which are freely received between the sidesof the jaws-16 and are pivot-allyvc'onnected therewith by rivets or like fastening devices 21 while at their rear ends, the rods are, as shown in Figure 4,- turned laterally :to form overhanging lugs-22 to ooac't with the arms l i for limiting the jaws in" their forward swinging movement relative to the prongs '12. Surrounding the rods to bear between the heads 20-and the ends of the arms 14 are springs .23. pressing the-jaws '16 forwardly.

Assuming now a ring from a -piston, levers 10 are swung apart to the position shownin Figure 1, when the wedge-shaped terminal formediby the tips 13 is'inserted in the ring groove and forced between the ends of the ring. Thering will thus be expanded the handles of'the levers may be swung toward each-other, when, as shown in Figure 2, wherein I have conventionally illustrated a piston ring in dotted lines at 24, the straighttinner edges of the tips 13: will of that it is desired to remove bear aga nst the end edges the ring so' that astthe handles ar'eswung, said tips will enter behind the ring, at the ends thereof, for flexing the ends of the ring apart and expanding the ring. The end portions of the ring will thus be flexed out of the ring groove and it is now to be observed that as the handles of the levers are swung toward each other, the arms 14 will be swung forwardly so that the jaws 16 will, in turn, also be swung forwardly. Thus, the flanges 18 of the jaws will be moved to embrace the end portions of the ring, as said end portions emergelfrom the ring groove so that the ends of the ring will be retained by said jaws against lateral the handles of the movement and in alinement with the tips 13 of the prongs 12. Accordingly, the ends of the ring cannot slip out of engagement with said tips and as the movement of the handles toward each other is continued to expand the ring, and the forward movement of the arms 1 is, therefore, also continued, the

springs 23 will, as will now be seen, be compressed for tight-1y pressing the jaws in engagement with the end portions of the ring. Thus the spring pressure on the jaws will be increased with the increase in the expansion of the ring so that as the ring is brought under increased tension by the expansion thereof, to a diameter such that the ring may be slipped over the head of the piston, the jaws will be caused to more firmly engage the end portions of the ring to prevent the rin from springing free of the tool. It will, therefore, be seen that the tool maybe readily engaged with the ring. when lying in its ring groove, and operated for expanding the ring so that the ring may be removed with facility over the end or the piston and, of course, the tool may be operated in like manner to apply a ring to the piston with equal facility.

Having thus described invention, what I claim is:

1. A tool of the character described including coacting levers provided at their forward ends with means to engage the ends of piston ring whereby the levers may be operated for spreading said ends apart and expanding the ring, means carried by said lovers to coact with the'end portions of the ring for retaining the ends of the ring engaged by the former means, and means car ried by the levers and acting directly on the second-mentioned means for automati cally pressing said second mentioned means into engagement with the end portions of the ring as said levers are swung.

2. A tool of the character described including pivotally connected levers provided at their forward ends with prongs to enter between and engage the ends of a piston ring whereby the levers may be swung for spreading said ends apart and expanding the ring, pivoted jaws carried by said prongs to coact with the ring for retaining the ends thereof engaged by said prongs, and means for automatically pressing the jaws into engagement with the end portions of the ring as the levers are swung.

S. A tool of the character described including pivotally connected levers provided at their forward ends with prongs to enter between and engage the ends of a piston ring whereby the levers maybe swung for spreading said ends apart and expanding the ring, jaws pivoted upon the prongs and extending laterally therefrom to coact with the end portions of the ring for retaining the ends thereof engaged by said prongs, arms carried by the levers, and means between said arms and the jaws for pressing the jaws into engagement with the end portions of the ring as the levers are swung.

4:. A tool of the charaeter'described including pirotally connected levers provided at th lr forward ends with prongs to enter between and engage the ends of a piston ring whereby the levers may be swung for spreading said ends apart and expanding the ring, jaws pivoted upon the prongs and extending laterally therefrom to coact with the end portions of the ring for retaining the ends thereof engaged by said prongs, arms carried by the levers, rods connected to the jaws and slidably coacting with said arms, and springs surrounding the rods between the arms and said jaws for pressing the jaws into engagen'ient with the end portions of the ring as the levers are swung.

5. A. tool of the character described including pivotally connected levers provided at their forward ends with prongs to enter between and engage the ends of a piston ring whereby the levers'may be swung for spreading said ends apart and expanding the ring, jaws pivoted upon the prongs and provided with flanges to embrace the end portions of the ring for retaining the ends of the ring engaged by means carried by the levers and engaged with the jaws for rocking the jaws into engagement with the ring and applying variable pressure thereto as the levers are swung.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

WILLIAM F. HIATT. [n s] said prongs, and 

